Far more than any other kind of sickness, mental illness has for centuries been the target of prejudices and brutal treatments. The buildings and beautiful grounds of the Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital are the perfect starting point to survey this history. Your journey will also allow you to explore the origins of psychiatry in Europe.

On the tour, we bring you to Bohnice, on the outskirts of Prague. We present a unique and detailed perspective on the hospital’s history and of the methods used on patients suffering from mental disorders, methods which may be seen today shocking and even incomprehensible, from torture and mystical rituals in Medieval times, to more recent treatments such as shock therapy and lobotomies. Our visit takes you on a journey into the field of psychiatry and its roots. This includes reflection on treatments encouraged by the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry, which at times increased the harm done to patients. This tour of the institution’s grounds allows every enthusiast to feel close to the tragic past of many of the region’s most stigmatized patients.

This eerie promenade will also lead you towards the Asylum’s famous abandonned graveyard where patients, criminals and many other lost souls were once laid to rest. However, tread carefully on the way, the forgotton souls who have never found peace may still roam around the clinic‘s seemingly tranquil grounds.

This tour starts in front of the gate to the Psychiatric Hospital in Bohnice, Ústavní 91, 181 00 Praha 8

All our tours start from Tynska 7 in Prague’s Old Town, just a few minutes’ walk from the Old Town Square.